Great Falls tribune., 1887-04-30
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, April 10, 18s

Public attention is now concentrating
upon the national drill which is to take
place in this city next month The color
line crisis has been safely passed, the
movement towards the reorganization of
the local militia, putting the companies IN
"a position to compete for the prizes, goes
briskly forward, the month Of the drill is
nearly here, the securing of hotel accom-
1nodations has begun, and many other in
dications point to the fact that the great
resemblance of the republics militia, and
of all who delight irf the military, will
soon be here. Washington, fresh and
charming in her new spring suit of green,
will gladly welcome the thousands of Wis
itors who will flock to her reception in
May, and, aside from all interest in the
drill it is worth trip of any distance to
see the most beautiful city of America in
her best attire.
The warm bright sunshine of Easter
Monday seemed warmer and brighter in
neighborhood of the white house than
<tE4y 8ltSit GeoS LII ll1iS Sley 1ihoO'elAsAo oi
children, without regard to race, color, or
previous condition, thronged the grounds
of the chief magistrate for tbs purpose Of
rolling and picking" eggs. 1t is an an
nual privilege custom has long accorded
the youth of the district. They have the
entire freedom of the grounds on Easter
Monday. They take possession early in
the morning, bring their lunches and their
nurses, roll themselves over the green
sward when they are tired of rolling eggs
and never desert the sport until nightfall
One feature of the egg festival was its
effect upon the afternoon reception to the
public at the white house. Many of the
festive little ones made free to enter and
swelled the attendance to about 1900 peo-
good crowd on these tri-weekly occasions.
The children were English, Irish, French,
Spanish, German, italian, Dutch and Dan
nish. At first the president attempted to
give each one greeting with some special
remark, but this generous intention was
overcome in a few minutes and ere long
ne was trying to shake hands with three
of them at time There were humble
white folks and aristocratic black folks,
and they laid their hands in the executive
palm with equal confidence. Occasion
ally tow-headed boy, soiled and hot from
his mornings sport, would march up
solemnly, put his dirty, egggg-smeared flng-
-ers In the presidential hand, and then stink
off as though he had done something he
was ashamed of.
Since the Interstate commerce law
went into effect the number of personal
applications for appointments under the
administration at Washington has dimin-
ished very materially. The canceling Of
free passes has caused marked falling off
In the number of callers at the government
departments from the. various states and
territories, and it will pretty effectually
stop the coming of delegations and indi-
viduals to urge appointments and press
their claims here. Heretofore a day never
passed without such delegations at all of
the departments, but especially would they
infest that of the interior. They would
come from the Pacific coast and the far
northwest, and often just in the hope of
securing the pettiest Office.
Probably the most absurd of all the
complaints made against civil service re-
form is the charge that it will lead to the
establishment of an office-holding aristoc-
racy. Anyone who examines the lists of
thousand-dollar secretaries Of senators, of
committee clerks attached to both houses
of congress, of unclassified officers in the
departments here IN Washington, and of
the occupants Of the most comfortable
berths in custom houses, federal courts,
the postal service. international revenue
and pension officers all over the country,
will be astonished at the number of sons,
brothers, cousins, nephews, sisters, nieces
and aunts who are drawing income form
= the public treasury.
Only last week senator's son was ap-
pointed to be chief of division in one of
the washington departments, anu anOtner
senator's son received a clerical position
under the Inter State commerce commits
sion. This is not saying that the fact of
one citizens relationship to another ought
to operate as a bar to his official aspira-
tions. But all Of these above mentioned
places are beyond the reach of the civil
service rules.
It would be scarcely possible for more